Year Long Romance
by kdzl
Summary: JJ/Hotch fluffiness. Who knew that true love could progress in just a year? Now COMPLETE!
1. January

_AN--So, I hope you like it. I was going to post all of the months in one chapter, but it would have been far too long :) Review if you want, I had a blast writing this story._

**"****We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person." – William Somerset Maugham**

**January**

'Who could it be at this hour?' Hotch thought to himself as he answered his front door. It was almost midnight, and he was far from accustomed visitors. As he opened the door, he was shocked at who stood before him. In his wildest imaginations, he could never make a guess why JJ would show up on his doorstep.

He could tell that she had been crying, tear stains running down her cheek, he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and comfort her. And he would have--if it weren't so inappropriate. "JJ, what are you doing here?" He asked concerned.

"I can't stand being in my apartment tonight and I've got nowhere else to go." JJ admitted bashfully. It had been a hard decision to come to Hotch's, but she would rather deal with the embarrassment of crying to her boss than being alone. "Garcia and Kevin went out of town together, Morgan's out—probably hitting on the new girl in Internal Affairs, Emily's visiting her mom, Reid actually has a date, and my parents are all the way in northern Pennsylvania. I literally have nowhere else to go. But if I'm interrupting, I'll go to a motel. I just forgot my credit card." JJ blurted out quickly, never stopping for air. She hadn't meant to tell Hotch that he was her last resort, but it seemed to come out on its own.

"JJ, you're fine. Where's Will, or Henry? What happened?" Hotch blurted unsure of what to do, he quickly ushered the woman into his home, hoping that he could somehow help her.

"Henry is with my mom this weekend and Will…is with her." JJ said disgusted, her nose wrinkling slightly. "I come home from the case and he's with her. Didn't even give me an excuse, just said that he couldn't control who he loved." Tears began to flow freely, no matter how hard JJ tried to restrict them.

"JJ…" Hotch began, wishing for inspiration. He had no idea what to tell her, no matter how badly he wanted to.

But JJ didn't need him to say anything, she continued without any provocation. "Told me that it's hard to have a relationship with my voicemail. Apparently she's there for him. I wanted so badly for this relationship to work." JJ said, collapsing onto Hotch's couch. "And I know that this is super awkward because we're not all that close, but I have nowhere else to go." She sniffled, Hotch sat down next to her, putting his arm around her awkwardly.

JJ leaned in and began sobbing, tears staining Hotch's shirt. He tried to fight the urge to track down Will and murder him. He couldn't understand how Will could throw a treasure like JJ to the wayside. Hotch fought to keep his control over his feelings, both those of anger for Will and affection for JJ.

"I didn't even see it coming. He's been seeing her for months, and I didn't even notice." JJ mused, looking up at Hotch with big, watery, bloodshot eyes. "Am I an idiot? I work with profilers who can tell what color of socks someone they've never met wears, but I can't tell that my boyfriend who I'm supposed to know better than anyone is sleeping with someone else. I must be a moron." It was so out of character for JJ to confide in anyone, let alone her superior.

"JJ, you're not a moron." Hotch assured her. Earlier today, he would have given anything to hold JJ in his arms, and now, Hotch couldn't think of anything he wanted less. He didn't want to be with her in reaction to Will and slime bag persona. "You just had a baby, you were preoccupied."

"Yeah, I was so worried about serial killers and baby formula that I let the love of my life fall in love with someone else." JJ cried, snuggling her face even closer to Hotch's chest. She was not the type to fall apart, especially in front of someone else, but tonight, she couldn't help it. She was being the weak, desperate, emotional girl that she'd always made fun of.

"JJ, if he was the love of your life, he wouldn't have done this to you." Hotch tried to remind her. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah." JJ said pathetically. "I just…I just thought that he was happy. I thought we were soul mates. I never believed in soul mates and then I did, and I get kicked in the gut."

"JJ…" Hotch tried to comfort, rubbing her arm sympathetically. He wished that he could tell her that it would all be alright, that she'd get over Will before she'd know it. But he knew the truth about hard breakups, they were hard to get over. He was still reeling from his divorce; it had taken him months to even begin to look at other women. But when JJ came back to the BAU after maternity leave, he hadn't been able to look away.

" I wanted this to work out, I wanted it so badly. I never thought I'd find it. You know, that crazy, intoxicating love, but then I met Will and I became all love sick and pathetic. I was like a different person, I never believed in romance and then I did. I just feel like a moron." JJ rambled. She knew come Monday, she would be horrified at what she had told Hotch. "Do you think that if I had left the team like he'd asked, we'd still be together?"

"JJ, you'd be miserable without the BAU." Hotch said sincerely. He knew the game of 'what if' better than he wanted to; he had been playing it for months. "This isn't your fault. You just trusted the wrong person."

JJ sat in stillness, considering what he was saying. She really wanted to believe that it wasn't her error; that Will really was the one to blame for this. But she couldn't let herself shift the blame. "I thought that me and Will were perfect together. I really thought it was the ideal relationship. And now I'm here, complaining to you about how I can't make a relationship work." JJ laughed to herself somberly. It really was ironic, that a big part of why she was here now was her inability to divulge her feelings to Will, and now she was doing it so easily with Hotch.

***********

"Did you ask for me?" JJ asked as she peeked into Hotch's office.

"Yeah, I was just wondering how you're doing." Hotch inquired carefully.

JJ groaned loudly, "can we please just never talk about this again?" JJ begged. She didn't know what had gotten into her, but she was hoping it would never reappear. She hadn't cried in years—let alone in public. So it was unacceptable for her to lose it at thirty years old in front of her coworker. Not just her coworker, her boss.

"JJ, I really am here for you. I hope you realize that." Hotch said softly, sincerely wishing that JJ knew how much she meant to him. Seeing her like that nearly killed him, he had no intention of letting her hurt like that ever again.

"I'm fine." JJ said, feigning a smile. "What needs to happen with Will and me, I have to be the one to take care of it. I think I know what I need to do, it was just a hard night. I appreciate all that you did on Saturday, but can we please let this die?" JJ really was thankful for how Hotch had allowed her to spend the night, allowing her to stain his shirt in her tears, but it didn't change how horrified she felt. She had born her soul to Hotch, something that was too humiliating for her to think of the memory without cringing.

"Alright." Hotch nodded, understanding exactly where she was coming from. After he and Hailey divorced, he too had gotten sick of the well-meaning friends who often goaded him to spill his inner most thoughts. All that had done was cause him to spend more hours at work, trying to avoid the truth.

JJ turned, ready to leave the room. After a second thought, she turned around. "Hey, do you want to get Chinese?" JJ asked hopefully. What she really needed right now was a real friend, and for some reason in her gut, she felt like he was meant to be it.

"I'd love to." Hotch smiled, grateful for the chance to help someone else through a trying time.


	2. February

_AN--So, I hope you like it. I was going to post all of the months in one chapter, but it would have been far too long :) Review if you want, I had a blast writing this story._

**February**

"Happy Valentine's Day, JJ!" Jack shouted as JJ opened her door. Hotch laughed to himself, seeing how his son fawned over the blonde woman. He didn't know whether it was a good sign or not that he and his son had the same taste in women.

In the month since JJ's break up with Will, she and Hotch had become closer than anyone could've imagined. JJ was glad to have a good friend like him, someone she could trust when the entire world seemed against her. She knew that she could tell him anything, and he'd do his best to understand. She'd always liked Hotch, but was put off by his cold demeanor. Now, she knew that while he was far from the friendliest person on the planet, he was the most loyal. "Hey guys! Henry's in the living room." She said, ushering them into her small home.

When Hotch received a phone call from Hailey asking him to watch Jack so that she could go out with her boyfriend, he initially felt hurt. It was hard to accept that while Hailey and he shared history, they had no future together. The moment he told this to JJ, she had come up with a plan. The pair would spend the day watching cartoons with their kids, thus avoiding all Valentine's Day romance. It seemed like the perfect solution to the dreaded day.

"JJ, I brought Aladdin!" Jack told her happily, hoping that the much older woman would be impressed with his selection. Hotch tried to fight a smile, Jack had been worrying for nearly an hour on what movie to bring, finally resorting to his favorite.

"Good. That's one of my favorites." JJ laughed, grabbing the movie and putting it into the DVD player. "Let me go grab popcorn. Anyone want soda?" She added, darting out of the room

Hotch chuckled lightly to himself. This was one thing he loved about JJ; she immersed herself in whatever she did, even if it was just a movie night. In the month that had passed, she had become his best friend. They talked about anything and everything. The topics ranged from their respective custody agreements to what flavor of Starbursts they liked best, nothing seemed too important or too trivial to talk about. And he learned things about her that he would have never guessed, like JJ loved to play hostess or that she volunteered at the local soup kitchen almost every week.

Coming back with a large bowl full of popcorn and a couple of sodas, JJ smiled wide. Hotch loved that smile, the one reserved specifically for him. It was new; he only started seeing it here and there a few weeks ago. But the more he saw it, the more he fell in love with it.

"Which one do you want?" She asked Jack, who took the grape soda. Handing Hotch the Pepsi, she took a sip of her Dr. Pepper. He loved that everything was second nature to her, she knew instantly everything he wanted. Everything except him wanting her.

"JJ, will you be my Valentine?" Jack asked as he squeezed himself between the two adults. Hotch definitely noticed how he favored his left side, the side closest to JJ.

JJ laughed, as her face grew serious, she fought a smile. "I thought you'd never ask. Of course I'll be your Valentine." She glanced over at Hotch with a smirk. Hotch in return just shrugged, he couldn't help that his son was infatuated with her.

As the movie started, Hotch began to observe how JJ acted with his son. It was easy to see that Jack was comfortable with the woman--his son was a friendly kid, much more so than Hotch had ever been as a child, but Jack didn't seem to be one to trust instantly. He always welcomed others, but couldn't give people more than trivial conversation and actions. It hurt to watch his son build up a contingency plan against the world, in case it ever failed him. With JJ, it seemed like Jack was sure that he could trust her and that she wouldn't disappoint him, faith that Hotch wished his son had in him.

While Jack and JJ's attention seemed captivated, Henry's was not. Hotch heard the Fifteen-month old boy begin to snore softly within the first twenty minutes of the Disney masterpiece. He smiled inwardly as he saw JJ pick up the sleeping boy and carry him out of the room. Though he hated to admit it, it felt like he and JJ were playing house; and he loved it. He loved feeling like he had some actual claim on JJ, and wasn't just wishing for one. He loved how effortless it was to be around her.

As the movie played on, Jack was claimed as another victim of the Sandman, his head dozing off and falling onto Hotch's lap. "He promised that he'd stay up." Hotch laughed.

"Well, apparently we're more boring than we thought." JJ teased, getting up and turning off the playing movie.

"I should head home." Hotch said, stretching his arms out. He didn't really want to go, but he had no reason to stay now that Jack was asleep and would probably be more comfortable in his own bed.

"Or you could stay and we could talk for a while." JJ offered lamely. "Jack's out cold. If you wake him up now, he's going to be irritated the entire way home."

Hotch nodded, suppressing a smile. "Alright. That sounds like it will work." He thought for a moment, wondering if he dared to ask the question that he'd been wondering for a while. "Have you heard from Will yet?"

"Not since he moved out." JJ shrugged. "I guess he still needs time to figure out what he wants. I don't care if he wants a relationship with me, but I'm sick of him not even trying with his son."

"What if he did want a relationship with you?" Hotch asked. He nearly cringed but stopped himself last minute. That was so out of character for him to say, he didn't understand how JJ got him to say things that he would never even think about saying otherwise.

JJ laughed mirthlessly. She thought for a moment before she answered truthfully, unsure of how to explain this. She found herself falling in love with Hotch, but she had to tell him the truth. She didn't really feel like telling the man she was attracted to that she was still in love with her loser ex boyfriend, but she owed it to him. "I'd probably give him a second chance."

"Why?" Hotch asked, the pit in his stomach growing. He wanted to ask her a lot of things. Like 'Why after he treated you the way he did? Don't you see that there are other guys out there for you, ones that love you? How could you go back to someone who gave up the world for nothing?' But those questions remained unasked as JJ tried to explain herself.

"We ended badly, I get that. But for nearly three years, I was in love with him. I was happy and…" She trailed off. "Yes, in the end it wasn't the happiest time of my life, but I can't forget the good times and cling to the bad. People make mistakes." She looked for understanding but found none. "If Hailey wanted to, would you give your marriage a second chance?"

"Hailey's moved on." Hotch responded, his eyes never leaving hers. "She moved on long before our marriage was over. She isn't going to want to give it another go." He and Hailey were on good terms, they had to be with Jack in the picture, but he could tell her for a surety that his marriage was over.

"But what if she did?" JJ begged, hoping that she wasn't the only weak one. She knew that Will was as Garcia called him, 'a slime bucket'--but she couldn't just turn her heart off like that. She couldn't go from being completely in love with him, to not caring if he did give them another chance.

"Then I'd probably give it another try." Hotch admitted truthfully. He didn't like being subject to how Hailey felt, but he never wanted to give up on their marriage in the first place. If Hailey wanted to give it a second shot and he had no reason to do otherwise, of course he'd take her back.

"See! You'd do it too." JJ exclaimed, her heart taking a hit as the words came out of his mouth. "I can't explain the power he has over me. Nor do I want to. I wish that the second I caught him in bed with her that I could've hated him. It would make my life infinitely easier. But I can't change my emotions like that. Once I let him catch me, I knew that I was taking a risk. I can't just go back to running away now that he hurt me, I'm already in too deep." She began to cry lightly.

Embarrassed she wiped the tears away. She was hoping that this would be the last time Hotch would ever see her cry. JJ thought for a moment, silence fell upon the home. After what felt like moments, JJ finally spoke. "If Will does come back-- not saying he will, but just if he does—will you remind me of how hurt I was when I showed up at your house?" JJ asked with an odd expression coming over her face. "Not that it will change anything; I just need to know that I'll remember what I'm getting myself into." He could see that she was really starting to hope that he might, like her latest conversation with him had her convinced that Will might change his mind.

While it killed Hotch to say it, he knew that he couldn't let her start hoping. "JJ, he's not coming back."

"I know, but just if he does." She said undeterred.

He nodded solemnly. "I promise." Deciding that his heart couldn't take any more upset, he decided to change the subject. "So what's the latest news in our unit?" He asked awkwardly. It was embarrassing but true; he really did like knowing what was happening with his agents.

"You mean gossip?" JJ asked mischievously.

"I mean news." Hotch smiled.

JJ laughed, she loved the parts of Hotch that she saw and no one else. No one else in the FBI knew that SSA Aaron Hotchner happened to be a gossip hound. She wouldn't believe it if she wasn't his main source of information, all of which she heard from Garcia. "Apparently Morgan and Emily are flirting, which made Garcia jealous…" JJ began, and for the rest of the night, the two friends pretended not to still be reeling from the conversation they had earlier. The laughed and lied their ways through the pain that both were feeling. Grateful to be spending the day with someone who understood.


	3. March

**March**

JJ laughed as she heard the birds chirp happily. The snow and stormy weather was finally subsiding and she was now getting to enjoy her first walk in the park during spring time. She loved the spring, it had always been her favorite season. She loved the happy weather and the growing of new things. She loved how everything seemed brand new in the spring, like if she tried hard enough, she could be a new person too.

"You weren't lying when you said you loved the park." Hotch observed as they walked. When she'd called him, he was sure it was about a case. It had been a pleasant surprise when he discovered that she just wanted to take a walk. Henry was at the zoo with Reid and Garcia and JJ hadn't wanted to go alone. So she called the first person she could think of, Hotch was glad to know that it was him.

"It's so lively." JJ smiled, explaining further. "We see blood, death and tragedy all day long. Sometimes it's nice to be somewhere where it seems like life really isn't that bad."

"Sometimes it's nice to escape." Hotch nodded.

"How do you?" JJ asked curiously. "Escape, I mean."

Hotch didn't know how to answer that. The truth was, he didn't escape. His life had become the job, and so running away would mean that he had nothing left. He thought of the days when he wasn't so concerned with his career, he must've done something to get him through it. Suddenly remembering every Saturday of his childhood, Hotch began to laugh. "I used to fish."

"Really?" JJ questioned with a surprised look on her face. She had never expected Hotch to be the fishing type. Fishers needed patience; they needed to be able to do nothing for hours in hopes that they might catch something. The more JJ thought about it, the more it fit. Fishing was like the job, letting out a line and hoping to catch what you were looking for.

"Yeah, I did. I stopped when Hailey and I got married; she had no appreciation for it." Hotch laughed at the memory. "Anyway, it wasn't really my sport, I hardly ever caught anything."

"Except for shoes." JJ teased, giving him the smile that she reserved just for him. She loved any moment she spent with Hotch outside of work. When they were in the BAU, he was the same Hotch she'd known for years. Bossy, controlling, obsessive, cold, and kind of a bully, he had his strong points too, he played fearless leader well, he put the team first always, he was protective, and kind. Work Hotch was someone she liked, but she liked him outside of work better. When they were together as friends, he was someone different. He still had all the qualities she loved about him, but there were others too. Like he how he was loyal and fair. Or that he always smiled when he talked about his son. Always.

"Yeah, except for those." Hotch agreed. He liked any opportunity he had with JJ to joke around. When he was with her, he got to be the person he wanted to be. "Have you ever fished?"

"No, but I did use to go hunting with my dad." JJ offered.

"I haven't hunted in years." Hotch groaned. "Dave's always asking me to go with him, but he likes pheasant hunting, and I'm more of a deer hunter myself."

"We should go sometime!" JJ said excitedly, unsure why she felt so excited at the prospect.

"Definitely." Hotch smirked, he didn't know how he felt about JJ toting a shot gun, but he had faith that she at least wouldn't shoot herself. She wasn't Reid. Hotch just felt a tad protective over the blonde liaison. When he heard his phone ring, he wanted to groan. Here was one of the few moments he had alone with JJ and he was yet again being interrupted by the high pitch squeal of his cell phone. "Hotchner."

JJ stood patiently for a moment, until Hotch got off the line. This was bound to be another case. "What is it?"

"Rape and Murder of six women in rural Oklahoma. They need our help." Hotch informed her.

"Great. Now, I get to call the rest of the team. There is nothing I like more than interrupting their weekends." JJ said sarcastically, pulling out her blackberry.

"Please, I do it all the time." Hotch smiled.

"And let's think about how popular that has made you--oh wait." JJ teased, dialing Emily's number. Emily was the worst one to call when they had a case. It was always easier to get her over with first. Then she would call Morgan who took it badly, but JJ was used to his whining by now, it had no effect on her anymore. After that, she would call Reid. Spence enjoyed work far more than he enjoyed his personal life. He made a nice break from being the bad guy that gave JJ just enough push to call Rossi, who always acted annoyed when she called. By now, she had it down to a system.

"What do you mean I'm not popular?" Hotch laughed to JJ who wasn't paying attention.

"Hi Em. We've got a case, I need you to come to work as soon as you can." JJ said quickly, as though if it came out faster Emily wouldn't have time to be upset. She listened intently, nodding along. "See you then."

"How did that go?" He asked curiously.

"She just told me where I could stick my phone. If Henry ever talks like that, I'm blaming her." JJ smiled, she knew Emily had a mouth, but sometimes it still surprised her.

Hotch chuckled to himself. He never got that response from Emily. He always heard some grumbling in the background, but she never yelled at him.

"Hey Morgan." JJ said in false chipperness. He always found it annoying--which was what JJ was aiming for. She loved her tall, dark, player friend, but there was nothing more satisfying than hearing him take deep breaths over the phone, trying to control his tone. "Yep, we've got a case. See you then." JJ smiled as she hung up. She found it strangely satisfying interrupting Morgan's many dates. It was almost a consolation that even though her weekend was ruined, at least Morgan was suffering with her.

Now Morgan was a different story, Hotch got fairly the same reaction. Watching JJ do the notifications, he realized that the team reacted far different to JJ than they did to him.

"Spence, we've got a case." JJ laughed as she heard the phone hang up immeadiatly. "That boy does get excited easily."

Hotch nodded, Reid did that with him too.

"Hi Dave, it's JJ. Yes, we've got a case." JJ nodded impatiently, hanging up the phone.

"What did he say?"

"That he has seen way to many cases for this one to be this urgent and that he would get there when he had time. Its what I usually get from him." JJ shook her head. "I hate this part of the job."

"I know what you mean." Hotch had interrupted far too many social evenings of his team to ever enjoy calling them. It was a sad truth that members of the BAU had no choice but to live a nonsocial lifestyle.

"Sometimes I don't know why I even try to go home." JJ smiled mirthlessly. "Ugh, I guess I should go home and change."

"Me too." Hotch agreed, he waited a moment before adding something he had been thinking for a while. "We should do this again. The park is really nice during the spring."

"Definitely." JJ laughed. "I'm parked over there." She pointed in the opposite direction, Hotch begrudgingly nodded. He had parked on the other side.

"Let me walk you to your car." It wasn't so much a question as a command, but surprisingly, JJ didn't mind. Hotch was a little shocked with himself, he knew that in no culture walking a woman to her car was a sign of deep romance, but he was proud that he had made just another small step--one of many that he had been making over the last couple of months--to actually appearing to JJ as something more than just a coworker.

* * *

_AN--So, what'd you think? Love it? Hate it? Cool. Let me know._


	4. April

_AN--So, I hope you like it. Because of the draught that was so rudely caused by fanfiction-dom, I have been able to review all of this and finish a lot of stories. Normally, I don't post more than once in a day, but if there's enough response, I will :) Review if you want, I had a blast writing this story. _

**April**

"Come in." JJ called as she heard a loud knock on her office door. With the case load she was currently dealing with, she was considering retiring and becoming a forest ranger.

As Hotch let himself in, he smiled tentatively. "Have you talked to Detective Bennet from Trenton, New Jersey? The drowning cases?"

" I told him that I gave the file to Morgan. He said he'd do the consult." JJ mumbled. "However, that doesn't stop him from calling me every six minutes."

"So, he's one of those." Hotch smiled. The team could classify lead detectives into two categories: The ones that didn't want their help and the ones who wanted it desperately. The former never called, the latter never stopped.

As if on cue, JJ's phone began to ring wildly. "Maybe I had talked to Will this much we'd still be together." JJ joked as she answered the phone. "Hi Detective Bennet.....Yes, this is still Agent Jareau...Yes, I've given the file to one of the profilers, like I told you the last time you called...Yeah...Thanks."

"You might want to tell Henry that he's going to have a new father." Hotch smiled.

JJ just laughed and shook her head. "If I make it to the weekend, I'm going to do something big. I don't know what it'll be. But trust me, it's going to be good." JJ ran her fingers through her hair. "What about you? Any wild plans for the weekend?"

"I'm actually kinda hoping for a case." Hotch suppressed a smile at JJ's confused look. "I have a family reunion and those never turn out well, especially since I'm now divorced. I now have my grandmother trying to set me up with my third cousins, all of whom are barely out of high school."

"Ewww." JJ grimaced. "Is that socially acceptable?"

"Apparently incest and large age differences didn't matter in the '30s." Hotch shrugged, proud of his own little joke.

"And there's not getting out of it?" JJ asked. For all family parties, she'd perfected her 'Stress related illness routine." The moment she heard of a family get together of any kind, she mysteriously came up with a flu that could've been prevented if she didn't work so much.

"My grandmother would kill me in ways not even I have seen." Hotch promised. "I'm going to have to reject my young relatives all over again."

"What if you had a date?" JJ asked, feigning innocence.

"That's not going to happen." Hotch smiled. He was getting better at attempting to date, but it was hard when the only person you held any interest in was just a friend. "The only women I know are you, Prentiss and Garcia."

"I'd go with you." JJ said, taking a leap of faith. She didn't know why she wanted so badly to go with him, but she did. And as long as she felt that way, she'd fight. "I mean, just as friends. But at least it would keep you from incest."

* * *

If JJ had known then what she knew now, she'd have never agreed to this. Hotch's family was in one word...unique. Whenever she pictured the family of the stoic unit chief, she thought they were like him. Calm, quiet, controlled, little did she know that Hotch was the exception, not the rule.

After yet another uncle had asked her when she was going to bear the next Hotchner boy, she thought she was going to lose it. "Is he for real?" JJ whispered harshly to Hotch.

"He came back from Vietnam like that. I've learned just not to ask." Hotch responded simply.

"Oh," JJ admitted, trying to stifle a laugh.

"But, you still haven't met Grandma Hotchner yet, so just be careful."

"Careful? What can a ninety year old woman do to me?" JJ laughed.

"Plenty." Hotch smiled.

JJ shook her head, intrigued by the different side she was seeing to Hotch. "I'm a big girl. I think I'll survive meeting your grandmother."

"That's what Hailey said, and then she never went to another Hotchner family reunion again."

"I can take it." JJ chirped resolutely. "Where is she."

Hotch mumbled something under his breath, sounding slightly like. "Its your funeral." He grabbed her hand to pull her out of the way of one of his cousins. As he did, he immediately started blushing lightly. He felt awkward, never blushed--ever. JJ also felt a small spark of electricity run up her spine. They clumsily released hands. "Umm...She's this way."

"Hey, Grandma." Hotch said softly to a woman who was sitting in a wheelchair with a very perturbed look on her face. "Its me--Aaron."

"Whose the girl with you?" She replied giving JJ a good look over. "She's pretty. Too skinny to bear you any boys, but we can fatten her up." She whispered conspiratorially.

JJ suddenly felt like a cow or a pig, she'd never been told that she going to get fattened up in her life.

"This is JJ." Hotch introduced, ignoring his grandmother's comment.

"What kind of a name is JJ?" The woman asked distastefully.

"Its short for Jennifer--" JJ offered, giving Hotch a worried look. Maybe his grandmother was worse than she thought.

"Well Jennifer is a perfectly fine name, why would you shorten it with something masculine like JJ?" The woman shook her head.

"Uh---" JJ thought for a moment. "I guess because I wanted to be unique."

"That's a good answer. Hotchner men like women who stand out. We make scenes, not just star in them." Grandma Hotchner nodded approvingly. "Aaron, I like this one. She's got a back bone, unlike that last wife of yours. I'm just glad that Jack is turning out to be more like you than her. It'd be a shame to have a Hotchner be tainted by bad genetics."

Hotch rolled his eyes--something JJ had never seen him do before. Usually the epitome of cool and collected, Hotch was for once showing some moderate emotion.

"Uh---Thanks?" JJ shrugged.

"You're welcome I'm glad to see my Aaron taking a liking to a nice girl. I was afrad that he might never find anyone, seeing as I have tried to set him up nearly a thousand times and he always is just so stubborn."

"Grandma, me and JJ aren't together--we just work together. I mean, we're just friends." Hotch informed. He would have loved to let everyone continue thinking that he had managed to score a girl like JJ, but he didn't want to make her lie. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin whatever he had with JJ over his grandma.

"Boy, why don't you make a move?" Grandma Hotchner asked acidly, thwacking her grandson on the leg. "All you men seem to want to do these days is have relationships without commitment...."

"I'm going to take JJ to meet Uncle Ted." Hotch lied, grabbing JJ's arm and walking away.

"She loves me." JJ taunted proudly, while Grandma Hotchner and she would never be best friends, she was grateful for the woman's adoration.

"That she does." Hotch agreed heartily. "I might actually get her off my back about why I don't ask out my third cousins."

"Only if you're lucky." JJ retorted.

_I already am._ Hotch couldn't help but think as he realized that he still had JJ's arm in his, _I just wish I knew how to say it._


	5. May

**May**

As JJ walked into the small coffee shop, she felt her stomach plummet. There was standing the man that she used to think of as her soul mate. The man who had promised her forever, but hadn't been able to keep that promise. Will used to be how she imagined her future, but now he was just part of a painful past. She wasn't sure where she was supposed to go from here. When she'd gotten the message on her phone asking her to meet him here, she hadn't thought about it. She just went, and now, she wasn't sure why.

He saw her walk in and stood. JJ's heat panged as she saw how good he looked. He looked great. Not just his physical appearance, but his entire demeanor as well. She wondered if she looked like a changed person, she certainly felt like it. As she walked forward, trying not to bow her head down, she felt all of her defenses leave her. All the times she swore to herself that never again would she let him walk all over her, seemed like a distant memory. All the times that she reminded herself that he wasn't coming back forsook their stance. Now she was alone, love-struck and vulnerable, in the grasps of the man who had taught her that a broken heart couldn't kill, but it made you wish it could.

"Hey." JJ whispered into the awkward silence of the initial reunion.

"Hey there JJ. You look great." Will smiled, pulling her into a warm hug. The smell of him seemed more than she could handle. The warmth of his touch still set electricity racing down her spine. No matter how she wished she could deny it, she was in love with him. That had never changed, even in five months of absence.

"You do too." JJ replied, trying to block out the pain she was feeling. She watched as he pulled out her chair, like he always used to, in many ways it was like things had never changed. Yet at the same time, they had.

As he sat down, JJ wondered how she could be such a weak woman. Just weeks ago she was telling Hotch how she was entirely over Will, and how she wished that she would never see him again. Now, she realized that she was a liar.

"How are you?" Will offered smoothly. JJ used to love that about him, he never seemed fazed by anything. Only he could walk into a situation as ill at ease as this without letting his discomfort show. "What have you been up to?"

"I'm good. I've just been working." JJ wished that she could be angry. She wished that she could start shouting and ask Will why he hadn't been there for his son, at all. She wished that she could tell him how stupid and arrogant and deceitful he was. But all JJ felt was admiration.

"How's Henry? I've missed him." Will smiled sadly.

"He's good. I think he's missed you too." That was an outright lie, JJ was pretty sure that Henry didn't remember Will. The boy had been calling Hotch 'Dada' for the last week and they were trying without success to set him right. "What about you? How is...she?" JJ said, trying to suppress a grimace.

"Molly and I are over. I-uh-broke it off. I realized that I was in love with someone else." Will answered dispassionately.

JJ felt the bile rise inside of her. He had left his mistress for a new mistress. Fitting. "So, what's the new girls name?" She tried to hide the acid in her voice, but failed.

"JJ."

"What?" She said slightly annoyed that he was toying with her now.

"No, her name is JJ." He smiled, reaching his hand over the table and taking hers. "I've seen the error of my ways. You were the best thing to ever happen to me, and I walked away. I let you out of my life and I want everything with you. I want to be with you, I want to raise our son, I want things back to the way they were." The sincerity in his voice rattled JJ's soul.

"Will..." JJ searched for words but could find none.

"I was a moron. I was a cheating, child-abandoning, moron. And I know that I have no right to ask for you back. I've got no right to be here pleading for you to forgive me. But I had to give it a try. Please JJ, give us another chance."

JJ braced herself, she knew that she'd be getting back together with Will, maybe it was how things were supposed to be--which was why her next words took her far more by surprise than they had Will.

"I can't."

As she said it, the words seemed so foreign to her. Just months ago, she was telling Hotch how no matter what; she'd give Will another chance. She was sure that she was when she walked in here. She had thought herself a goner. But as the words were out, JJ found their foundation. The voice in her head listing them sounded an awful lot like Hotch.

"I know that what I'm asking of you is hard, but please, JJ, give this one more shot." Will pleaded.

"No." JJ said resolutely. It was like all those movies she'd seen, the ones where the answer to the problem was right in front of the heroine's nose the entire time. While she thought she wanted to be with Will, they had gone for too long on their separate paths to be right for each other now. Maybe they had been soul mates in December, but in the months that had passed, JJ had evolved. And he had too. But they changed in different ways that they couldn't possibly make it work now. But there was someone else that maybe she could make a relationship work with. Someone she had been falling in love with for months, but so stubbornly refused to see the truth.

"Why not?"

"Because you let me fall and someone else had to catch me." JJ whispered. And as the words came, JJ knew their truth. Hotch had been the only constant in her life for months. She had been faintly aware of her infatuation with him, but she was starting to find that maybe it was a bit more.

"Are you in love with him?" Will asked, slightly pained.

JJ just nodded in affirmation. She had no control over the gesture, it had done it all by itself. It was like her body knew what her mind refused to acknowledge. JJ was in love with Hotch. Not just a light attraction that she thought she felt. But deep seeded, heart swelling, love. No matter how badly she thought she wanted to be with Will again, it was nothing compared to her need to be with Hotch. The realization enabled her, it raised her tolerance to the words she so badly had wanted to hear, the words that she now knew would never matter.

"It's Hotch, isn't it?" Will laughed mirthlessly, "I should've known."

"I'm sorry." JJ said automatically. Yes, she loved Will, but it was nothing compared the knowledge that had presented itself to her just that moment. She thought of her belief in fate, maybe everything did happen for a reason. Maybe Will had to come back for her to realize that while she was still getting over him, she had for the most part moved on.

"Don't be. It's my own fault. You don't walk out on the girl of your dreams and expect her to stay there waiting for you." Will said sadly. "You know, if you'd have given me a chance, this time really would have been different."

JJ nodded. "I'm sure it would have." For so long she thought of Will as her sun. Bringing light into her life and brightening her world. That hadn't changed, but she now knew that Hotch was like air. There was no life without him.

"But you can't control who you love." Will mused, repeating the last words he had said to her when he walked out on her and their young son. He was serious about coming back, he'd be there for JJ and Henry. Now, he knew that it was going to have to be in a way different than he had hoped. "I knew the moment I called you that it'd be a long shot. But I had to give it a try. So does your boss know that you're in love with him?"

"No." JJ shook her head. While discovering the truth had solved her old problems, it had set forth some of its own. "There's no way that he feels the way I do."

"Silly girl, you don't see it do you?" Will mused. "You don't see that he's been in love with you since even before I was out of the picture."

"No he hasn't." JJ said, quenching the hope that was rising within her.

"One of these days, you're going to realize that I was right." Will whispered. "Well, I've got to get going. But I'd really like to see Henry, I've been a terrible father for long enough. So if you could give me a call." He said handing her his card.

"I'm sure he'd like that." JJ said sincerely, hoping that this would close this chapter in her life. The one where Henry's father was long gone and she was dependent on her long lost Romeo.

"Take care JJ." Will waved. "Don't make my mistake. Don't let the person you love walk out of your life."


	6. June

**June**

For the last month, JJ had been treading the waters lightly. She now knew she was in love with Hotch, she just had no idea where to go from there. After her coffee date with Will, it seemed like the dam broke, releasing all the feelings that she had held back but no longer could. She was in too deep now; there was no way for her to not get hurt with Hotch. Staying silent was killing her, but it seemed better than the alternative—coming to terms with the fact that he would never feel the same way.

He was starting to notice, she was sure of it. For months she had told him every little thought that popped into her mind, now she suddenly had to censor. It was odd, and she was finding that there was more and more that she wanted to say but couldn't.

This caused her to dread any moment she was with him and the team. He seemed to think she was being odd, but didn't look too much into it. Emily, Reid, Rossi, Morgan and even Garcia were more perceptive in this right. The last thing she needed was one of them catching onto how JJ felt and making a mountain out of a molehill. It was already large in its own regard, it didn't need their exaggerations.

Thus, JJ wanted nothing more than to not go to Garcia's barbecue. Garcia and Kevin, in a moment of quintessential, 1950's wanting bliss decided to have pot luck for Flag Day. While JJ thought of this as ridiculous, she had taken to turning down any offers to spend time with the team outside of work—including Hotch. And while it had made her hiding her feelings easier, she missed him terribly. That combined with Emily threatening her life if she had to go to the party while JJ didn't had lead JJ to the decision that she really did have to go.

As she unbuckled Henry from his car seat, she saw Rossi attempt wildly at starting a good cooking fire. Maybe this won't be so bad after all. JJ laughed to herself. Garcia and Kevin had no place to have this illustrious Flag Day Barbecue, Garcia had readily volunteered Rossi's large house. However, it was seemingly apparent that Rossi had never had a barbecue in his life.

"Rossi, waving like that is going to cause your grill to explode." JJ teased, carrying her son and her famous fruit salad to the back patio.

"Did you know that about 60% of Americans grill, and the majority of those do so all year round." Reid said excitedly. "Considering the number of people grilling compared to the number of accidents…."

"Reid, I don't care." Rossi said rolling his eyes, throwing a few meat patties onto the flaming machine.

As JJ stepped into the view, she saw that her friends were not alone. They all seemed to be on dates. JJ didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but either one seemed very close to the surface.

"JJ, you came!" Garcia shouted happily, climbing off of Kevin Lynch's lap. "You know Kevin."

"Hey Kevin," JJ laughed, unsure of how she was going to get through the night.

"This is Jason." Emily said introducing the blonde man next to her. "Jason, this is my friend JJ."

"Nice to meet you," JJ lied in mock confidence. "Reid, who's that?"

"This is Austin, she's from Georgia." Reid said as though the woman's location met something.

"Hi Austin." JJ smiled. She looked over at Morgan expectantly, trying get through the awkward introductions.

"This is Kayla." Morgan laughed, knowing what his poor friend must be going through. It didn't stop it from being funny. "And Rossi's date is inside, her name is Sophie."

"Oh. Did I forget to tell you to bring a date?" Garcia asked innocently. JJ didn't buy her act for a second, but she had to give her props for trying. "Well, you brought Henry. He's got a Y chromosome. He can count."

JJ attempted to not roll her eyes. This had to be the worst Flag Day Barbecue she'd ever gone to. Actually, it was the only Flag Day barbecue she had ever gone to. She didn't know what her analyst friend was up to, but she was sure it was bad. "Where's Hotch?" JJ asked, trying to ignore the smirks on Emily and Morgan's faces.

"He should be here in a minute." Garcia gave what seemed to be a smile to Rossi, who just shook his head in laughter.

JJ began to dread when the raven-haired unit chief did arrive. He would be here with a date and she would be stuck watching him. It seemed like a cruel joke, but in all truth it was reality. Her life really was this bad.

She was sure that whoever Hotch brought, she'd be gorgeous. She'd probably be perfect, just like Hailey. He seemed to go for that type. She contemplated whether she should ask for alcohol or not. On the one hand, it wasn't very appropriate to be getting drunk in front of her son. On the other, Henry was young, he probably wouldn't remember this at all.

"Rossi, do you have any beer?" JJ asked hopefully.

"I do, but I was strictly instructed that I wasn't allowed to give anyone any. We are observing this holiday sober."

JJ couldn't believe her bad luck. Garcia considered French Revolution day as a drinking holiday, downing rum for her fallen Frenchmen. There was no way this was happening. Especially when she was about to have to witness Hotch trying to woo some woman who probably didn't care about him half as much as JJ. She'd always laughed at the girls that were obsessed with boys they couldn't have in High School. Now, she was fully realizing that karma had an ironic sense of humor.

As she heard steps walk up the pathway, she prepared herself for the inevitable. She'd have to look eventually, but she couldn't help but want to never turn around and not face the truth. She heard Morgan call out Hotch's name, and decided it was time to meet reality.

JJ was very surprised—and pleased—to see that there was only one person standing there. Hotch wasn't there with anyone. She tried to suppress a smile, but was aware that she was failing.

She heard Garcia turn back on the act. "Wait, I forgot to tell you to? Man, looks like you and JJ are just going to have to be each other's partners for the games. Ain't that the luck? Well, at least I made the same mistake twice so that one of you doesn't have to be paired up with Henry."

Hotch and JJ gave each other knowing looks. No one in their right minds would believe this was an accident, especially not when they both had training in lie detection. But as uncomfortable as JJ felt, she also felt a small amount of fondness for her friend. Maybe Garcia was more perceptive than JJ had given her credit for.

"Let's play charades!" Garcia exclaimed.

"Shall we?" Hotch said gesturing toward the circle of BAU agents.


	7. July

**July**

As JJ made some chip dip, she felt her stomach begin fill with butterflies. Will had taken Henry for the holiday, one of the first father- son outings since Will had decided to grace them with his presence. The team hadn't had a barbecue as they usually did-they counted the Garcia catastrophe as the limit for the summer, but in a moment of courage, JJ asked Hotch if he and Jack would like to come with her to watch fireworks. Her house had a great view and so she could watch them without leaving home. Hotch had complained that he wanted Jack to see the fireworks, but he couldn't stand the crowds. JJ had thought that she had the perfect solution, but now she was wondering if that was the truth. Was something perfect supposed to make you feel stressed out of your mind?

As she heard the door bell ding, she tried to keep her nerves calm. She didn't know why she felt like tonight was going to be a big deal-she had spent time alone with Hotch thousands of time before, but tonight felt like it was going to be different.

"Hey there." JJ said as she opened the door. "Happy Independence Day."

"JJ, my mom told me to bring you flowers." Jack smiled, giving JJ the assortment of the July edition flowers. Red and blue, JJ found it very patriotic.

"Thanks." JJ laughed. "I'm going to put these in water."

Hotch smirked. "Hailey was always one for etiquette."

"Well, that's quite alright. It's been a while since I've gotten flowers from a dashing bachelor." JJ teased, searching for a vase. She'd never been one for organization, so she knew that it might take her a while. She struck gold fairly early on, finding the vase that her mother had given her for her birthday. It was uglier than sin but it fulfilled its basic purpose.

"I have a hard time believing that." Hotch chuckled. "Let me help you with that." He told her taking the flowers that she was trying to balance while grabbing the food she had made.

As their hands brushed, JJ could swear she felt something-like electricity pass between them. It might have just been in her mind, but she felt something.

Apparently Hotch felt it to, because JJ swore she saw him smile to himself.

JJ searched for any words to say in the moment of blissful silence. "We should go out on the deck."

Hotch nodded and followed, as Jack did after him. JJ thought it was adorable how Jack worshipped his father. If Hotch raised his arm, so would Jack. If Hotch laughed at a joke-something that didn't happen often but had once or twice-so did Jack. It was nice to see Jack try to be like his father, JJ thought that there was no better hero to have.

The summer night was warm; JJ loved the times of the year where she could walk out of her house without a jacket. She loved how the smell of the rain from the day before lingered in the air. She was in her element. She smiled to herself as the feeling of contentment washed over her body. She was sure that life didn't get better than this.

Hotch watched JJ wistfully. He didn't know what brought out this side of JJ-the side that was undeterred by the horrors they saw every day but still saw the magic around her, but he was essentially grateful for it. JJ deserved to be happy more than anyone else he knew. What he didn't understand was that it was him-he brought out JJ's love of life. "You really like summer don't you?"

JJ nodded, a smile spreading across her graceful lips. "It reminds me of when I was a kid. Growing up in a Podunk town always made summer so much fun. We'd always go to the river-well, actually its more of a stream, but when we were ten it was practically the Potomac. It just reminds me of home."

"Do you ever miss East Allegheny?" He asked, interested. It had never occurred to him that JJ might actually be homesick for the small town she came from.

"Sometimes, especially when I'm all alone and I feel lost. But I left for a reason; I needed to make my own life." She leaned across the balcony, looking at the sky.

"You've done a good job of that." Hotch mused, he couldn't get over how beautiful she was, especially when she felt content.

"I've done alright. I like my life." JJ smiled, fighting the urge to say anything else.

"But..." Hotch prodded for her to carry on.

"I'm sick of being alone." JJ said, making her mind up to take the leap that she'd feared. This was the point where she had nothing to fear, she'd rather lose Hotch then never have anything with him. She smiled as she saw Jack stare at the sky, waiting for the fireworks. He was so far removed from the situation, not noticing the close proximity between his father and JJ.

"JJ, you could have any man in the world. You being lonely is an easy fix." Hotch complimented. He was sure that he had just encouraged her into the arms of another man. But he loved her enough to let her be happy.

"Any?" JJ asked hopefully. Hotch nodded in response.

Then there came the leap. There came the point of no return. As JJ leaned in, she hoped more than anything that he might respond. When their lips touched, JJ felt more complete than she had felt in years. It took her a moment to realize he was kissing her back. His warm mouth met hers fiercely, JJ knew life would never be the same. It took a moment for them to come up for air, as they did, JJ looked into Hotch's eyes, looking for an explanation.

"I should've done that months ago." Hotch whispered, he looked over to Jack, hoping he hadn't seen anything. True to form, his son was still paying attention to the first few flashes of green and red.

"If I remember correctly, I initiated it." JJ teased, wrapping Hotch's arms around her. There was so much to say, but for right now, she just wanted to be held.

"I'll make up for it someday." Hotch responded, pulling her in closer, watching the fireworks begin.


	8. August

**August**

_Ring, Ring, Ring_

"It's mine." JJ grumbled, extricating herself from her warm spot in Hotch's arms. "Agent Jareau."

Hotch smiled as JJ nodded softly to whatever the person on the other end must've been saying.

"Well, fax what you have to me, the number should be on the card." JJ yawned. "Alright, you too."

"Work?" Hotch asked as she got back into bed and snuggled closer to him.

"One of these days they'll learn not to call me at three in the morning and that will make my life infinitely better."

"What kind of case is it?" Hotch asked curiously.

"Serial Arsonist in Detroit. He wanted a consult." JJ replied. "What have I told you about talking about work when we're together?"

"That they're separate." Hotch laughed. "But I was acting like any boyfriend would. My girlfriend is getting calls at all hours of the night. I have a right to know."

"You also are your girlfriend's boss, which makes work awkward." JJ smiled, trying to convey her point. "Especially when you can't tell anyone."

"We could tell people, you just don't want to." Hotch reminded her.

"Call me crazy, but I don't want to lose my job because I started dating my boss." JJ defended.

"The team probably knows." Hotch pointed out. They were all profilers; surely they had to notice the behavior changes that had happened within the last month.

"No, I don't think so. We've done a good job at keeping it out of the office." JJ countered. The team knowing the truth would be far too much for her to handle. She was ecstatic at her new relationship, she just wasn't ready to have to explain every small detail to Emily and Garcia. She wasn't ready to deal with Morgan and Rossi's knowing smirks. They were easier to ignore when she pretended to think they didn't already know.

"You just keep on telling yourself that." He chuckled.

"What are we going to do when Strauss finds out?" JJ asked after a moment. The couple had discussed it at length several times, but they still had to find a viable solution. The facts remained the same, she loved him, but within the halls of the FBI, she couldn't be with him.

"I told her yesterday." Hotch said delicately, ready for the argument that it could bring.

"You did what?" JJ asked incredulously.

"I told her. I told her I was in love with you, and that we wanted to keep everything appropriate in the eyes of the bureau. I told her that we'd been together for a month, and if anything our unit has increased in efficiency." He stopped, gauging her reaction.

"And? What did she say?" JJ prodded, ignoring the way her heart jumped at hearing him tell someone that he loved her.

"Oh, I don't think you want to know." Hotch teased, a rare moment of diabolical mischievousness overtaking him, "after all, you did tell me that we need to keep our personal life and work life separate. I think this definitely counts as work."

"What did she say?" JJ repeated in mock anger.

"She grumbled and threatened and then admitted that as long as we are successful, her hands are tied and she can't do anything about it."

JJ leaned up and kissed him deeply. "Wow, if I had known I would have gotten that reaction, I would have told Strauss a year ago that I was in love with you." He insisted.

"We didn't even start dating until a month ago." JJ reminded him, smiling broadly.

"That doesn't mean that I didn't want it to happen." Hotch retorted, placing a strong arm around her.

"I did too."

* * *

Morgan leaned back in his chair, placing his arms leisurely behind his head. He needed a small break from the mounds of paperwork on his desk. He tried not to complain, he was getting far less than he used to. Ever since Hotch and JJ began dating, they both relaxed and remembered that not every member of the BAU lived, breathed and loved work. He smiled as JJ walked into the bull pen alone. Silly girl still thought she was fooling them. Even the receptionist could tell you that the pair got together on the fourth of July. Why JJ thought that they still didn't know was beyond him.

"She's still trying to keep up the facade." Emily smirked, laughing to herself.

"They've been together more than a month, you'd think she'd tell us by now." Reid grinned.

"Why do you think they haven't told us?" Morgan asked, chuckling at how JJ was trying to act inconspicuous as Hotch entered the BAU, like she didn't know where he had been last night.

"Hotch would if JJ would let him. The man is practically over the moon." Emily pointed out.

"JJ has classic fear of commitment coupled with her fear of breaking rules--" Reid trailed off, realizing that Morgan's question may have been rhetorical.

"Maybe we could move things along." Emily suggested, quirking an eyebrow mischievously.

Morgan laughed and nodded. "Now that's what I'm talking about."

"Move things along? How?" Reid inquired, worried at what his two friends were plotting.

"Oh Reid, don't worry your little head about us. Morgan and I have it all figured out." Emily whispered conspiratorially. The pair nodded and walked away in seperate directions, accepting the mission that was now in place.

* * *

Morgan rapped lightly on JJ's door. As she called for him to come in, he put on his best poker face.

"Hey JJ." He smiled and winked--something that half the women in Crimes Against Children would give their kidney for.

"Hey Morgan." JJ looked at him quizzically. What on earth was he up to?

"So, You're still single." He said coming up behind her.

"No--I mean yes. I am still single." JJ lied pathetically. She was starting to get frightened at what this man had planned.

"I'm still single." He laughed.

"I'm sorry?" JJ offered, unsure of what to say.

"Maybe you could fix that."

"Huh?" Morgan was a player, why was he asking JJ to fix that? JJ was very alarmed.

"On Saturday, do you want to go to the movies?" He asked out of no where.

"With the team?" JJ stuttered.

"Well, Emily was going to ask Hotch. Between you and me--she's been hot on him forever, kind of like me with you." He looked her up and down appraising. "But yes. It would be a date."

"I've---got a painting class." JJ's excuse sounded more like a question than a decent lie. First, she was a little alarmed at what was going on here. Second, why didn't Emily tell her that she had a thing for Hotch? What were friends for anyhow?

"Oh, well maybe some other time." Morgan said, walking out of the room. He knew he had done exactly enough to freak JJ out far beyond all comprehension.

* * *

"Hotch." Emily called happily, letting herself into the unit chief's office.

"Yes, Agent Prentiss." He replied, never looking up from the files that JJ had given him earlier.

"I was uh---" Emily feigned butterflies in her stomach. If she had to say so herself, she was a good actress. "Wondering if you'd like to go with me to the movies this Saturday, Morgan will be going to, except he'll be taking JJ."

"Morgan and JJ?" Hotch raised his eyebrow in disbelief.

"He has liked her for a long time." Emily lied, not knowing why she had to flirt with the boss. They already knew that Hotch would admit to dating JJ in a heart beat, it was the stubborn liaison that was throwing a wrench in Garcia's and her plotting.

"JJ is a very competent woman. I'm sure she could have any suiter she so chose." Hotch said carefully, playing along with Emily's game. He wasn't sure what she was up to, but he was sure that he was about to find out.

"Enough about them, so can you go?" Emily asked in mock hope.

"I have Jack this weekend. Sorry, but no." He apologized, looking back to his files.

"Actually, back to JJ and Morgan." Emily deterred. "How are you going to handle them, since you know, there are rules?"

"I try to not concern myself with the personal matters of members of this team outside of the workplace." He shrugged, knowing that he wouldn't have to deal with JJ dating Morgan anytime soon.

"But what if they, you know, 'fraternize' in the supply closet?" Emily prodded.

"Both Agents Jareau and Morgan are professionals. I'm sure that they wouldn't blatantly disobey the rules while I was watching." He considered fairly.

Emily groaned, this was not going how it was supposed to. "Why won't you two just admit it?"

"Admit what?" Hotch asked, confused at the desperation and anguish that suddenly took over Emily's voice.

"We all know that you are sleeping with JJ! You two have been dating since July and haven't admitted it!" Emily accused.

"I should have known that you had ulterior motive." Hotch chuckled.

"I'm not JJ. I don't commonly ask my boss out on dates." Emily said, running her hand through her hair.

"And I just thought I was special." Hotch teased. "Well, if you must know, yes. I have been seeing JJ outside of work for more than a month."

Emily squeeled in delight. "Now Morgan just has to crack Blondie." Emily cackled in triumph.

"JJ's tough. I think she'll be harder to break than I am." Hotch admitted. He had wanted the team to know for a while that JJ and he were dating, so he hadn't fought very hard with Emily.

"Just you wait."

"What are you going to do with my girlfriend?" Hotch questioned, concerned and a little intrigued at how Morgan and Prentiss planned on cracking JJ.

"Girlfriend?" Emily smiled mischieviously, "I thought you were just seeing her?"

Ignoring Emily's triumpant smile, Hotch corrected himself, "What are you going to do with Agent Jareau?"

"You'll see." Emily grinned.

* * *

As the team filed onto the jet, Emily took full advantage of the situation. She confidently walked over and plopped down next to Hotch, who just shrugged at JJ's confused glare.

While JJ doubted the truth of Morgan's over flirtatiousness earlier that day, something stuck with her. Morgan telling her of Emily's love for Hotch. JJ grimaced, trying not to show it. What did Emily think she was doing?

It wasn't until Emily began sitting too close to Hotch that JJ couldn't control herself anymore. Pulling Emily aside, she spoke softly as not to alert the others to her anger, "What do you think you're doing?" She asked coldly.

"What do you mean?" Emily asked, grinning inwardly at the acknowledgement she had been waiting for.

"With _Hotch!_" JJ demanded, knowing that Emily knew exactly what she had done.

"I just can't hold it back anymore." Emily lied, trying to keep herself from laughing, "I'm sure he's not seeing someone--"

"Oh, he is most _definitely_ seeing someone. He's seeing_ me!" _JJ admitted, saying the last sentance loud enough that everyone heard. "Yeah, did you hear that?" She asked the jet full of profilers, "I am dating Aaron Hotchner." She looked poinginetly at Morgan who smiled happily. "Take that Morgan. No more hitting on me awkwardly when I'm just trying to do my job. I Am In A Relationship." She said, emphasizing every word as she sat down next to Hotch and draped his arm around her.

"Finally." Morgan laughed as the others chuckled. "We thought you were going to try sneaking around behind our backs for ages."

"Sweetheart, I think we've been had."


	9. September

_A/N--So, this chapter shows a different side of the JJ/Hotch relationship, I hope you like it! A reader commented that it seemed like their relationship was progressing pretty fast, which is definitely the case. I figure that they'd been working together for years and knew each other very well, so once they decide to date, the realtionship WOULD pass pretty quickly. Feel free to disagree (or agree) and drop me a review :)_

**September**

"I can't believe you!" JJ shouted, slamming the door shut behind her, grateful that Henry was spending the week with Will.

"JJ, I was just trying to help." Hotch reasoned calmly entering his home behind her. This is what she hated about him, when she wanted to shout and yell and throw a tantrum, he was always cool and calm. It always felt like he was mocking her emotions.

"How? How were you trying to help?" JJ shrieked.

"You and Emily needed to resolve your differences. I was just trying to move that along."

JJ suppressed an angry laugh, knowing that it wouldn't help her case. She loved Aaron, she really did. But he had no right to get involved. She and Emily had gotten in an argument about something stupid, as all best friends do sometimes. That doesn't mean that her boyfriend needed to swoop in and save the day. Now, it just looked like she couldn't fight her own battles. "What happened to keeping work and our relationship separate?"

"Your disagreement was hindering the team's communication. I was looking out for the best interest of the team." Hotch countered unemotionally.

JJ shook her head incredulously. "Hindering the team's communication? How were we doing that when we weren't working with each other?"

"JJ, you're just upset that I was talking to Emily. Ever since you saw her flirt with me, you don't like it when we're in the same room together. I was just doing my job and making the unit run seamlessly." He defended.

"I was with Rossi! He didn't seem to be complaining about mine and Emily's 'communication'. Maybe I should start dating him." She threatened.

"It went deeper than that." He replied coldly, taking JJ's threat very personally.

"What did you even say to her?" JJ asked angrily. All she did know was that Emily had come up to her and told her that Hotch didn't need to play 'liaison' between them. They were big girls and could fight their own fight. She told JJ that Hotch didn't need to get involved every time there was a disagreement between the two women and that it was unprofessional for him to think that he could as her boss, think that he could intervene in his girlfriend's business. JJ had stood there stunned to all of this. She knew that Hotch was protective, and sometimes blurred the line between their personal relationship and their interaction as co-workers. But she hadn't expected anything like this.

"I told her that she was being unprofessional and childish, and that she needed to apologize." Hotch said, not understanding why JJ was taking it like this.

"Aaron, it was my fault!" JJ groaned.

"You stole her coffee cup; I don't know how that makes this your fault. If she wasn't being ridiculous then I wouldn't have needed to speak with her."

"Did you speak with her because you were concerned about the BAU or because you're sleeping with me?" JJ asked, hoping he'd see her point.

"What does it matter?" He retorted, stunned. "I'm a profiler. I know how to talk to women."

JJ let out a derisive laugh. "Yep Aaron. You definitely know how to talk to women. That's why we are having this argument right now." No man could understand women unless he had been a twelve year old girl once. Knowing that this wasn't the case with Hotch, JJ couldn't ever believe him.

"What's that supposed to mean." Hotch asked, a little offended.

"It means that my best friend is furious with me because my boyfriend--our boss--decided to yell at her because he doesn't understand the distinction between what happens at home and what happens at work." JJ shouted exasperated.

"I didn't yell at her." Hotch defended.

"No, of course, you didn't yell. Because you don't yell. Ever." JJ admitted. "But you did chastise her or whatever you call that thing you do when you're disappointed."

"I was merely talking sense into her."

"Honey, it was a stupid girl fight. The kind that happens during that time of the month. You. Should. Have. Left. It. Alone." JJ explained angrily, emphasizing every word. "Now, it's a real argument because she is now afraid that if we ever disagree, I'll run to you and you'll take it out on her at work."

"You were hurt. What was I supposed to do when I'm in love with you and someone has made you upset?" Hotch asked coldly.

"You're supposed to be there for me when we're home. But the second we walk into the FBI, you're supposed to treat me like anyone else." JJ responded curtly. When they had begun dating, she'd thought that this would be easy for him. He didn't seem like the type to blur the lines between work and play. She however, was finding that it was the very opposite. To Hotch, there was no line. He lived work and JJ seemed just an integrated part of it.

"JJ, I can't treat you like I'm not in love with you. I can't turn off my feelings for you the moment we walk into work." Hotch reasoned.

"Aaron, what happens if you don't always love me?" JJ asked disbelievingly. "If we can't keep it separate now, what happens if we break up? Will you not be able to turn your feelings off of disdain?"

"Why are you always making contingency plans?" Hotch groaned, sick of how this always was the case. For some reason, Will had made JJ think that every man she'd ever meet would eventually out grow her. She didn't seem to understand that Hotch was in for the long haul.

"Why are you evading the question?" JJ laughed mirthlessly.

Hotch knew that it was time to talk some sense into her. So he grabbed JJ's hand and pulled her onto the couch next to him. She struggled for a moment, but after realizing that he was much stronger than her, she sat still. He looked straight into the blue eyes he loved so much and smiled. "Fine, I'm just doing this to appease you. First, I'm never going to not love you. I'm a creature of habit. My feelings don't sway ambivalently between love and indifference. But if I suffer some mental breakdown that changes the very fundamentals of my being, then sorry JJ, we couldn't be friends. We'd work out fine as co-workers, but I couldn't go back to being your friend. But I promise that I wouldn't let my feelings for you jeopardize your career. But that won't be a problem, because I'm yours as long as you'll have me."

"Don't be sweet." JJ groaned, slapping her hand to her forehead. "You always do this. You make me angry and then you act all adorable so I stop being mad and then you go back to being protective and making me angry. It's a vicious cycle."

"Sorry JJ, but I can't help it." Hotch said smoothly. "I just love you."

"You're doing it again." JJ mumbled, leaning her head on Hotch's broad shoulders. "I love you too."

He smiled and gave her a quick kiss. 'Crisis averted yet again.' He thought to himself.

"I'm still mad. I may love you, but you're apologizing to Emily tomorrow." JJ muttered, angry that he won yet again. She hated dating a profiler, he knew her well enough to win every time. She might as well have been dating a psychic.

"Fine. I'll apologize." Hotch conceded. "But I've got some demands of my own."

"You're the one who screwed up." JJ sighed indignantly, swatting him lightly.

"JJ, this is an open ended negotiation." Hotch smiled. "I agreed to apologize to Emily. I also accept full responsibility for this argument. But I still have a few concerns."

"What are they?" JJ posed warningly.

"One, you are never allowed to threaten me with you starting to date Dave. I don't think I could take it." Hotch laughed. "Two, we are getting you a new coffee cup. I don't think I can take another discussion with Emily over you using hers."


	10. October

_A/N--Thanks to everyone who's reviewed/alerted this story. _

**October**

"Hi Dad!" Jack called happily from the top of the playground as Hotch walked to the bench where Hailey was sitting. It was Friday and Hotch was getting Jack for the weekend. Hailey's new live-in boyfriend didn't really care for Hotch, so they decided it might be best if they met in a neutral place.

After the sticky divorce, one would think that the pair hated each other, but that was far from the truth. They had being civil down to an art. They were actually reaching the point where someone could call them friends. So as Hotch plopped down, Hailey laughed at the grunt he made.

"That bad of a day?" Hailey asked, wondering what could actually evoke a reaction from her usually stoic ex-husband.

"Yep." Hotch said shortly, not wanting to reveal too much to his ex-wife.

"Aaron, what on earth is the matter?" Hailey finally asked after a few moments of painfully awkward silence.

"JJ's upset." He grumbled. "Well, she says she isn't, but I know her better than that."

"I'm sure you do." Hailey smiled. She loved JJ. Any woman who could encourage Aaron to spend more time with his son was ideal in her eyes. If she had to pick a step-mother for Jack, JJ would be it. When she and Aaron split, she'd been worried if he'd ever move on. He was a constant thing, she didn't know if he would get used to the change. But when she found out that he had begun dating the blonde woman that he had worked with for years, she couldn't have been happier for him.

"Her sister said that she was wasting her time with me. That I only want her because she's young and inexperienced. She told her that I'm never going to commit and that she should cut her losses and move on." Hotch relented. If anyone could tell him what he should do, it was Hailey.

"How did you find this out?" Hailey asked curiously, there was no way JJ would ever tell this to Hotch.

"She told Garcia, who then told me." He muttered.

"Then why is she mad at you?" JJ didn't seem like the type to take things out on others, Hailey was confused.

"She isn't. She's upset that her sister would say anything like that to her, but she hasn't said anything about it to me." Hotch explained. "I just don't want her thinking that it's really the case. I don't want her to think I don't intend on marrying her someday, because I do. I just need time."

"Why?"

"Hailey, I love her, I want to spend the rest of my life with her. You should know as well as anyone--" Hotch tried to explain but Hailey cut him off.

"No, I understand why you'd want to marry her, what I don't understand is why you need time." Hailey said, shaking her head.

"We've only been dating for three months. The best three months of my life, but I think that's a bit soon to be asking her to marry me." Hotch supposed confused. If anyone should know that he wanted to take his time, it was Hailey. He had loved her fiercely, and the divorce had not been easy on him.

"Do you love her?" She asked, understanding his reservations, but also knowing that he needed to risk a lot for this relationship to work.

"Absolutely, have you not heard a word I've said?"

"Then why are going to make her wait for forever?" Hailey cried exasperated.

"It's been three months!" Hotch defended.

"But by the time you pluck up the courage to ask her, it will a whole lot longer than three months." She pointed out.

Hotch just gave her a disbelieving look.

"Aaron, by the time you actually asked me to marry you, we had been dating for nearly ten years. I don't know JJ all that well, but I think she might want to get married before you two have been together for a decade." Hailey pointed out, not wanting to laugh, but remembering how long it had taken Aaron to take the next step in their relationship.

"We dated ten years and look how that turned out." Hotch pointed out.

Hailey looked at him sadly, "Aaron, I'm sorry for what happened between us, I wanted it to work but I gave up. Not every other woman will." She replied, grateful that time had taken a lot of the anger out of their failed marriage. "But just because you're scared doesn't mean that she is."

"I'm not--" He tried to defend himself, but at her knowing look simply relented, "I'll ask her. I will. I just don't want to do it quite yet." Hotch resented that Hailey could read him so well.

"You love her. And I think that if you did choose to ask, it would be the real thing. I think you'd make it." Hailey informed, hoping that he wouldn't give up on the peanut gallery just yet.

"It would be. I just want the timing to be right."

"And how do you know that it isn't right now?" Hailey asked knowingly.

Hotch just shook his head, refusing to respond. He didn't need to justify himself to her.

"Don't let your stubborn ways keep you from real happiness Aaron." Hailey said, standing up from the park bench. "I'm going to go, have a nice weekend."

Hotch watched as Hailey walked away, it reminded him of how she walked right out of his life. He was determined to not let JJ do the same.

* * *

The words that Hailey had spoken to him were like a weed, creeping up in every spare crack his mind contained. He certainly loved JJ, but he wasn't sure he was ready to ask her to take that leap in their relationship. He didn't want to make her move faster than she was ready.

"Jack's asleep." JJ said, plopping herself next to Hotch on the small couch. "Poor kid didn't even make it through the entire story."

"What did you read him?" Hotch asked, trying to conceal the contraband thoughts he had been harboring since earlier that afternoon.

"'Horton Hears a Who' seems to be all the rage these days." JJ laughed, cuddling closer into Hotch's open arms.

The couple sat quietly for a moment before Hotch finally spoke. "Are you ever going to tell me what your sister said?"

"Megan's boyfriend doesn't want to commit, so she's taking it out on our relationship. Emily told me that it's classic projection." JJ dismissed.

"You told Prentiss but not me?" Hotch asked disbelievingly.

"I didn't want you to feel like I wanted to force you into anything." JJ explained, hoping he'd understand.

"But you still could have told me." Hotch smiled. "I don't consider your sister the most important factor in our relationship."

JJ nodded. "I know." She smiled timidly. "I just don't want you thinking that I'm expecting a ring anytime soon. I mean, I'm fine going as slow as you want to."

"What do you want? How fast do you want to go?" Hotch inquired curiously, from the sound of it, it was he who was keeping the pace in their relationship, not JJ. When she had been with Will, he had listened as she admitted the many times that she felt pressured into marrying him. He had always assumed that she was as reticent as he was.

"I don't think that there is anything I'm not ready for with you." JJ admitted sheepishly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

JJ took in a deep breath. "When you ask if we want to move in together, I'll ask whose place. When you say you want kids, I'm going to ask how many. If you ask to get married, I will ask how soon." JJ explained. "I'm ready for it all with you Aaron. But I want it to be on your terms."

"I guess I just assumed that you wanted to take it slow." He said, genuinely perplexed at how such a beautiful woman could love him.

"Slow? What about our relationship has been slow? We've only been 'together' for three months." She teased, then seemed to understand the sincerity of his statement, "when I was with Will, I think I knew that it wasn't right, I just didn't want to fail at another relationship. When he cheated on me, I was devestated, but now I realize I was also a little glad because it meant that I wasn't the one who destroyed the relationship. Maybe I forced him to do what he did, but---anyway, it's not important. What is important is that it's never felt so right to be with someone before." She said as she snuggled closer to him.

Hotch leaned down and kissed her right then, suddenly knowing what he had to do.


	11. November

_A/N--Thanks to everyone who's reviewed/alerted this story. _

**November**

Hotch couldn't help but feel a small thrill as JJ placed a squirming Henry in the car seat of his car. He was joining JJ for a trip back to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving. He could tell that she was dreading going back with her family and having to face her parents as they queried when she would be getting married. He hoped to rectify that before they arrived in East Allegheny.

"Are you sure you're okay with taking your car? I know that it was in the shop a week ago." JJ asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about it. They said it was all fixed." Hotch dismissed, using his normal stoic mask to keep his secret safe.

After driving an hour, Hotch determined that it was time to employ his plan. Quickly turning the switch in his SUV to four-wheel drive, the occupants of the car quickly felt a lurch from the tires.

"What's that?" JJ asked, knowing that she should have trusted her instincts and insisted they drive her jeep-though it did have worse gas mileage.

"Oh, it's probably nothing. I'll pull over just to check." He assured her, fingering the woolen gloves in his pocket.

Stepping out of the car, he made a big show out of kneeling down, and inspecting the underside of the car. "JJ?" He called to her, "can you come hold this flashlight while I look at the car?"

She quickly scrambled out of the car, intent on helping him in any way possible. "Right here?" She asked, grabbing the flashlight and pointing it to a random spot under the car. He knew that she was rather adept at mechanics, so he couldn't allow her to go poking around too closely.

"Yeah, I think it might be a disconnected switch." Hotch lied easily. JJ pointed the light more accurately.

"Here. Wear these, they're cold." Hotch handed her the set of gloves, suppressing the grin as he anticipated how this was going to happen. He had spent almost an hour, carefully stitching the engagement ring into the middle finger of one of the gloves. He had taken Jack along as they picked out the perfect engagement ring, and he was certain that JJ would love the simple princess cut diamond. He had worked it out perfectly, the only thing he hadn't counted on was her stubbornness.

"No." JJ said quickly.

"No?" Hotch asked, his mind not comprehending her response. He had even changed his stance from a crouch to kneeling on one knee in front of her, holding the gloves for her use.

"It's cold. You should be wearing the gloves. You're laying on the snowy cold road. You've been sick. You wear them." She reasoned.

"JJ--Put. On. The. Gloves." Hotch said, trying to stop the anger that he felt rising as the woman he was in love with began to thwart his romantic advances.

"No!" JJ said defiantly.

"JJ, if you value my sanity at all, you will put on the stupid gloves." Hotch threatened.

"Why are you taking a ridiculous stand on this? You've been sick, and I feel fine. Why won't you put on the gloves?" JJ replied, turn about was fair play when your boyfriend was being a moron.

"JJ-" Hotch said exasperated, unsure of what to do next.

"I say we call Triple A." JJ suggested.

"No. I'm sure it's _fine_." Hotch grumbled as he placed the gloves angrily into his pocket.

The couple got back in the car as Hotch silently switched the lever back, reverting the car to two wheel drive and giving them a seamless drive. Moments passed and he couldn't help but clench his jaw at his ruined plans.

"Aaron? What's wrong?" JJ asked obliviously.

"Nothing." He said, slightly too sharply for his own liking.

"Oh, really?" JJ chuckled, seeing his tightly clenched jaw, asked again "What's wrong?"

"You just _couldn't _put on the gloves, could you?"

"Why are you being such a baby? I was only looking out for you." JJ defended, shocked that this was turning into a full blown argument.

"Looking out for me? If you were looking out for me, you would have put on the stupid gloves." Hotch said angrily.

"Fine. Hand them over. I'll put them on."

"No. Maybe I don't want you to wear them now." Hotch grumbled, laughing to himself at his own stubbornness.

"What is so precious about these stupid gloves? I'll put them on now if that will make you happy."

"Yes. It would make me happy." Hotch admitted, deciding now that it would be better to swallow his own pride and show his feelings to the woman he loved, "It would make me the happiest man in the world."

"If I wore your gloves?" JJ scoffed. _Why is he acting so weird?_

"This one goes on your right hand." He said ignoring her comment as he pulled the car over to the side of the road and handed the first glove to her.

"Wow, one for the particulars, eh?" She smiled, baffled by Hotch's odd behavior.

"Now this one on the left." He helped her slide the glove on her left hand as she looked at him curiously.

"So, now I can't put on gloves myself?" She asked, then suddenly hit by realization as the cold band slid onto her important finger. "What--?"

"JJ, I've been in love with you for a long time, and I just realize that I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"You do?" She asked meekly, a broad grin forming on her face.

"I do. Now I have an important question to ask you. Would you make me the happiest man in the world and-"

"YES!" She cried as she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him despite the console separating them.

"Wear my gloves?" He chuckled. Seeing her face fall slightly, he amended, "Oh, I mean, marry me?"

"Yes, I'll marry you!" She said, ripping the glove off her left hand to reveal a gorgeous engagement ring. Suddenly, her eyes filled with tears and her face fell.

"What's wrong?" Hotch asked, hoping that he hadn't picked out the ugliest ring in the world-Hailey had always said he didn't have great taste when it came to stuff like that. "We can always exchange it." He said softly.

"No." JJ sniffed as her lip trembled adorably, "The ring is beautiful."

"Then what's wrong?"

"I _ruined it!_" She cried adamantly.

"You did." He admitted chuckling slightly, grateful that she liked the ring.

"You were doing it all romantically so you would be down on one knee." She gasped, slightly horrified at the realization of how badly she had messed up.

"I was."

"And I RUINED IT!"

"You did." He agreed again, laughing more audibly.

"I've got to be the worse girlfriend in the history of the world." She moaned.

"Fiancée." Hotch corrected, then chuckled as he saw her angry glare. "JJ, I love you. And one of things I love about you is your persistence." Hotch tried to comfort the woman who was near tears. "You just care about my health."

"I'm so sorry." JJ moaned.

"It's okay." Hotch reassured her, leaning across the consol to kiss her once more, "Like I said, I love you and I wouldn't change anything about you."

JJ seemed to accept his last words, holding up the ring to get a better look at it as her face broke out in a wide smile, "We're engaged."

"We are." Hotch laughed.

"I can't wait to shove this in Megan's face." JJ gloated.


	12. December

**_AN: It's been a fun ride, but the end of the year has come. Sorry it took me a while to get this out, let me know what you think!_**

**December**

JJ was nervous. She was about to tell Aaron Hotchner-her fiancé-something that would change their relationship indefinitely.

They had talked about kids before, but it was more in the future tense than right away. They had talked about taking their time; little did she know then that the little baby inside of her had different plans. She'd only known for a little more than a week, but keeping the secret from him had been torture. After tonight, he would finally know the truth.

She wasn't sure what to expect. She supposed that he would be happy, but it was fairly soon in their relationship for children. They weren't even getting married for another two months, she had insisted on a short engagement, but there was still a lot to plan.

"Merry Christmas JJ!" Jack called as he entered Hotch and JJ's house. Having lived together for a few weeks, she was still getting used to her new home. Jack was staying with Hotch for Christmas Eve, but would go home tomorrow to spend Christmas Day with Hailey. JJ often admired how amicable the divorced couple was.

"Hey Mr. Jack." JJ smiled as the boy ran and gave her a big hug. "Merry Christmas!"

"My mom gave me cookies to give you!" The little boys shouted, handing JJ a plate of festive Snowmen. It was surprising how well JJ and Hailey got along, JJ admired the Martha Stewart-esque creations that Hailey often gave to them. While JJ could cook fairly well, cookie decorating seemed to be outside her range of capabilities.

"Tell her thanks for me." JJ laughed.

Jack, trying his best to impress the blonde woman grew serious. "I decorated that one."

"Really? Because that's the best one." JJ assured, enjoying herself as she watched Jack beam with delight.

"My mom told me to tell you something too." He added after a moment.

"What?" JJ asked intrestedly, while her and Hailey were friends, she wasn't sure what kind of a message Hailey would have Jack relay.

"She told me to ask you when you are due." He said simply, now paying attention to Henry, who was happily bobbing around the home.

"What?" JJ screeched in panic. Of course Hailey would ask, she had after all seen JJ walking out of the doctors office last week. JJ had thought that she had succsessfully difused the situation, telling Hailey that she was just seeing her doctor for a cold, but inherintly, the woman hadn't bought it. That was understandable enough, but it didn't subside JJ's fear. She hadn't told anyone--now the core of her secret was resting in the hands of Jack. A boy whom she loved very much, but was notorious for his inability to keep a secret. She was just happy that Hotch truged upstairs, she didn't know if she could have kept her calm with him in the room.

"I already told ya." Jack said as if JJ was being ridiculous. He wasn't sure why the simple words he had said had driven her into this large of a tizzy. He was discovering that adults were weird sometimes.

"What did you tell her?" Hotch asked as he stepped into the kitchen. JJ began to flame while Jack stood there, looking confused.

"I..." Jack began before he noticed JJ flailing her arms, putting her finger to her mouth, indicating that it was a secret. Jack was sure it was a surprise for his dad, he didn't normally like lying to his dad. But if JJ was going to give his dad a surprise, he would keep the secret. "Nothing." The boy said proudly.

JJ sighed in relief. That was a close call, and while she appreciated Jack attempting to keep her secret, she wasn't sure how long he could hold out for. She was certain of one thing, she had held out too long only to have her plan thwarted moments before she told Hotch. She would not stand for it. She had to act quick. "We've got gingerbread mix, why don't we make cookies." JJ offered.

Hotch raised his eyebrow at her, knowing something was up. He loved JJ with every fiber of his being, but she hated making cookies. It was one of the idiosyncracies that had taken some getting used to. If JJ wanted dessert, she would either buy her cookies from the store or make pudding, she did not bake. Ever. "Honey, you don't have to do that."

"I insist." JJ beamed, hoping that he stop doubting her and help. There was no way she could do this without his cooperation. She hadn't really planned out how she was going to tell him, but she had to think of something quick. Cookie baking, while tedious, was the perfect distraction.

He looked at her dubiously, as he walked over next to her. "Alright. I bite. I don't know why you are doing this, but I give in. Where is the mix?"

"Can't a girl bake just because she feels like it?" JJ lied.

"Any girl besides you." He retorted under his breath, grabbing the box with the friendly looking gingerbread men on the front. "Jack, go wash your hands so that you can help, take Henry with you." He commanded. Jack smiled, grabbing the younger child's hand, and ran upstairs to the bathroom, knowing that JJ had bought the Spiderman squirty soap. JJ always did fun things like that to encourage proper hygiene.

As soon as his sons was out of ear shot, he turned to JJ. "You know that you're going to have to tell me eventually what you're hiding, right?"

"Who says I'm hiding anything?" JJ deflected.

"I'm a profiler, do you really think I don't notice how you can't meet my eyes." Hotch responded skeptically. "I will find out, mark my words."

"Just be patient." JJ conceded. "You'll find out soon enough."

"Aha, so you are hiding something." Hotch laughed. "Whatever it is, I doubt it will even faze me." He wrapped his hands around her narrow (albeit, soon growing) waist.

"Somehow, I think you're wrong." JJ chuckled.

"Try me." He taunted, trying to get it out of her.

"No. You're just going to have to wait." JJ insisted.

He slowly spun her around and looked squarely to her bright, big eyes. "I want to know now." JJ shook her head teasingly, not prepared as he leaned in closer. As he planted a warm, seductive kiss on her open mouth, JJ's breathing began to quicken.

"That is so against the rules." She warned. "You don't get to flirt it out of me."

"You're just mad that its working." He said, leaning in and kissing her lightly on the neck. He loved how everytime he kissed JJ, her breathing hitched. It told him that while he would never understand why, JJ really did love him. "Besides, I don't need to flirt when I already have you."

"Aaron James Hotchner, you know what I meant." She gasped. "Its not fair to do this sort of thing to your hormonal fiancee." JJ panicked as the words came freely from her mouth. She prayed to all that was holy that Hotch wouldn't contiue to press this.

Hotch however, now knew he was getting somewhere, causing him to be more determined than before. "JJ, did you just say that you were horomonal?"

"I meant--confused. I misspoke." JJ offered lamely, hoping he'd atleast pretend to buy her excuse.

"Are you sure?" He pressed.

"Positive." JJ was relieved at the sight of Jack and Henry through the doorway. Hotch wouldn't dare continue his game plan in front of the two young, impressionable boys.

They quickly set about making cookies, with Hotch secretly touching JJ in ways that the boys couldn't see. A little brush on the shoulder there, a hand on the waist there, he continued his assault, hoping that she would cave. His strategy before had been working before he'd been interrupted.

"Don't you even." She warned as he put his arm around her waist, drawing her in protectively. It was one of the positions that he cuddled with her in that seemed to drive her crazier than the others. If he got his hands in the right place, JJ was puddy between his fingers.

"JJ, why won't you tell me?" Hotch asked finally.

"Because, I am waiting for the right time." JJ cried exasperated. Jack and Henry knew instinctively that this was the part where they went to the living room, while JJ and Hotch didn't argue often, it was bad when they did.

As Hotch watched the two retreating figures he grew angry. "See, you made the boys upset."

"I made them upset? If you weren't being a bully, then this wouldn't be a problem." JJ retorted, she took in a few breaths. "Fine, you want to know?"

"No. If you don't want to tell me, then that's fine." Hotch said stubbornly. "Apparently you are the only who doesn't have to make concessions in this relationship."

JJ shot him a death glare. "Now I don't want to tell you, ever."

"Fine. I already told you that you didn't have to." Hotch shrugged.

"Well, I do have to, and I want to. At least I did." JJ offered sadly.

"JJ, either tell me or don't. Make up your mind." Hotch replied, seeing the sadness in her face, he came around. "I'm sorry, its just that you've been going through something and you won't tell me. I want to help you JJ. I'm powerless when you don't tell me what's going on. I love you."

"I'm having a baby!" JJ blurted urgently, slapping her hand over her mouth. She was sure that it was the hormones, but Hotch telling her he loved her made her sure that she was ready for him to know about their future together.

"What?" Hotch sputtered excitedly, quickly wrapping his arms around her.

"I found out last Tuesday, we're having a baby." JJ said a little more calmly.

Hotch pulled her closer, kissing her tenderly. This was the best day of his life. "We're having a baby." He mused softly. "Should we tell the boys?"

JJ nodded decisively. "Boys, come in here!"

"I love you." Hotch told her as the boys puttered into the kitchen.

As they prepared to tell their sons of the arrival of a little brother or sister, JJ couldn't help but reflect on the last year of her life. Last December, she would have never believed that she would be engaged to Hotch and happily bearing his child. Now, she couldn't think of how she could have wanted anything else. From the moment he let her in on that January night where it seemed all hope was lost. Then she thought she would never love another man besides Will, but Hotch had opened her heart again.

She thought of the Valentine's day they had spent together, marking the first time that she ever saw herself being attracted to the unit chief, revealing her saddest secrets to him, while he was there for her. She thought of the early March walks they took together, when she was finally beginning to feel human again. She remembered the awful family reunion that she had attended with him, where she began to notice that he might have feelings for her too.

She remembered back in May, finally coming to terms with how she felt, and turning away the man who had broken her. She remembered the jealousy of that Flag day barbecue, where she was sure that he had someone else, but was pleasantly surprised that she had a chance. She thought of the 4th of July, and how she took the leap that she had always feared, but was gladly caught by a man that loved her. She remembered the day they became public, how badly she wanted to murder Emily for making moves on Hotch.

She recalled the fights they had, specifically the times he got too protective. She remebered how her sister told her that he would never comit, and the joy she felt when he finally had. And now, she would always remember the joy and anger that transpired tonight, and how she had delivered the best news of her life.

Yes, the year had been good to her. But now that she had Hotch, she couldn't wait to see what the next year would hold.


End file.
